Thanksgiving Beer Marathon

by Matt DeMarco

Good food, football, beer, wine, and family...simple.  That's why Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. My family tends to start drinking early in the day while dinner is being prepared. I have compiled a list of beers that will compliment both the food and the mood as the day progresses.

Remember enjoying beer on Thanksgiving day is a marathon, not a sprint. To kick off your day, start on the lighter side of the spectrum. You don’t want to kill your palate with an over the top hop bomb so I recommend opening the day with quality pilsners or lagers such as Victory Prima Pils, Union Jack Pivo Pils, or Great Lakes Elliot Ness. If you are not a fan of lagers, reach for a subdued pale ale.

Before dinner while you are snacking anxiously awaiting the turkey to be carved, grab a mild pale ale. You want to compliment the snacks you are eating and again you don’t want to kill your palate. My suggestion is Deschutes Mirror Pond, Anderson Valley Poleeko Pale Ale, or Yards Pale Ale. If you are really craving an IPA, reach for a lighter one but remember to cleanse your palate before dinner.   Two solid IPA that are not too aggressive are River Horse IPA (brand new) or Terrapin Hi-5.

When it’s time to sit down to dinner, I like to have a well-rounded Belgian style ale. Belgian ales are perfect for

pairing with a feast. I will be drinking Unibroue La Fin Du Monde. Other good beers for dinner are Victory Golden Monkey, Weyerbacher Merry Monks, Tripel Karmeliet, La Chouffe, and Allagash Dubbel.

If you are not a fan of Belgian style ales, try a pumpkin beer. Most people associate them with Halloween but they are actually better suited for Thanksgiving. Pumking is the one to go to for dinner but also Oktoberfests and Harvest Ales pair well with traditional holiday fare.

Dessert is when you can pull out all the stops. I typically choose an Imperial Stout. My go-to is Founders Breakfast Stout. It pairs perfectly with dessert. It has a rich chocolate and coffee flavor that just compliments sweets so well. You can also go with something that is already desserty such as DuClaw Sweet Baby Jesus or just a plain stout such as Sierra Nevada Stout or Bell’s Kalamazoo Stout. The key is to go dark and rich.

When you want to keep going after dessert, choose a boozy beer that you can sip after you slide into your sweat pants and put your feet up in front of the fire or TV. This is when I reach for a Barleywine like Anchor Old Foghorn or an Old Ale like Founders Curmudgeon or Bell’s Third Coast. I tend to pick something that needs to be sipped and that the flavor with change as it warms.

This of course is just a guide.  There are no rules to drinking beer. Everybody views beer differently and has different tastes. As long as you are enjoying the beer you are drinking, you are doing it right.